


Come at the kings

by CryptidBae



Category: Black Panther (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Arguments, Arranged Marriage, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Eventual Sex, Eventual Smut, Everyone Has Issues, Friends to Lovers, Healthy Relationships, M'Baku's children - freeform, M/M, Marriage, Medium Burn, No top/bottom we fuck like men, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protective T'Challa (Marvel), Slow Burn, T'Chaka - freeform, allies to friends, as healthy as it can be, introverted T'Challa, not forced, supportive M'Baku, supportive family, supportive friends, which is like slow burn for impatient people
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-24
Updated: 2018-05-11
Packaged: 2019-04-07 05:49:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14074263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CryptidBae/pseuds/CryptidBae
Summary: If there was something M’Baku didn’t expect, it was that the once again king of Wakanda would be standing in front of him again so soon. The Great Gorilla had thought, and with reasons, that after the Jabari returned to their mountains, things with the other tribes would go back to normal, with the Jabari as outcasts in the land that had birthed them. But T’Challa was standing in front of him, chin high, and the determined fire of a king in his eyes.“I’m here for diplomatic reasons,” T’Challa spoke, sure of his words. “I have a proposal for you.”





	1. Chapter 1

If there was something M’Baku didn’t expect, it was that the once again king of Wakanda would be standing in front of him again so soon. The Great Gorilla had thought, and with reasons, that after the Jabari returned to their mountains, things with the other tribes would go back to normal, with the Jabari as outcasts in the land that had birthed them. But T’Challa was standing in front of him, chin high, and the determined fire of a king in his eyes.

Just like two weeks before, the first time the new king of Wakanda ‘visited’, M’Baku was sitting on his throne, legs spread, chin resting on his fist. He was trying to study the king’s face, find in those dark brown eyes a reason why T’Challa would ask for conferring with M’Baku that time, commanding his guardians to stay outside. In M’Baku’s opinion, it made no sense.

“I have been informed of what you did for the outsider.” M’Baku straightened on his seat. “Extremely kind and merciful of you.”

“I'm not here for you to praise me, M’Baku”

“A king that doesn't wish to be praised.” The Great Gorilla smiled. “That's new.”

M’Baku closed his legs to rest his arms on his lap and leaned forward. “Tell me then, my king,” there was something in M’Baku’s voice that left it clear his only intention was to mock T’Challa when he called him that. “Why are you here?”

T’Challa took a soft but deep breath. A king should not speak before being sure about what he's going to say, he knew that. M’Baku watched him curiously, waiting patiently for the king to answer his question.

“I’m here for diplomatic reasons,” T’Challa spoke, sure of his words. “I have a proposal for you.”

M’Baku couldn’t believe what he was hearing. A king of Wakanda, one that shared the same blood as the ones that preceded him, the ones that had ignored and disrespected the Jabari, is standing on his throne room, requesting to discuss diplomatically. It was unreal. But thinking about it, nothing that T’Challa did and kept doing seemed to make sense. The king had left his kingdom to actively participate in a civil war that had nothing to do with him, instead of waiting for the two parties to weaken each other and then claim his father’s assassin’s head. Not only that, but T’Challa had also forgiven T’Chaka’s murderer. What kind of king did that?

 _A king as pious as stupid,_ M’Baku thought, _A weak king._

“A proposal?” M’Baku’s hands held each other in front of him. “And what could you offer me that I’d want? Besides the throne. But we both know that you wouldn’t come here for that.”

There’s a swift change in T’Challa’s expression that made M’Baku’s eyes widen expectantly. The king smiled for a short moment, stepping closer.

“That is exactly what I’m offering you,” T’Challa kept his expression neutral, even though it seemed like he’s holding back a smile. “This is literally a proposal.”

M’Baku stared at him for a minuted that didn’t seem to end. The Great Gorilla stood up, giving his back to T’Challa, and facing the snowy landscape that was his kingdom. M’Baku knew that, behind that mountain, there’s a land where there’s no snow, where people were afraid of the Jabari, where the elders didn’t want them. He can count on the fingers of one hand the times he’s visited those lands.

He thought that, maybe, T’Challa was offering him his sister or mother’s hand in marriage. But M’Baku forgot about that idea as fast as it popped into his mind. He doesn’t know T’Challa that much. But something tells him that the king would never do that.

M’Baku turned on his heels to face T’Challa.  “What’s exactly what you're offering me?"

“I wish to unite our tribes, all the tribes. I know that won’t happen unless a Jabari sits on the throne.” M’Baku had to admit that was true. “The only way for that to happen is if we unify our bloodlines.”

M’Baku wanted to laugh. That was too much. It sounded like some kind of cruel joke. It was too good to be true.

“Unify our bloodlines?” The Great Gorilla asked skeptically. “And how would that work if we’re both men?”

“Where does this delirious idea come from?” M’Baku really wanted to know.

T’Challa stepped, closer once again, and M’Baku could feel the determination in the small king’s eyes burn through him.

“What I’m offering you is the opportunity to have the throne that you seem to want so much,” T’Challa smiled defiantly. “Or have you give up your hopes of ruling over something more than this beautiful, yet frozen lands.”

M'Baku’s hands turned into fists, and he wished that the Dora Milaje weren't right beside the throne room’s doors, so he could punch the king's naive little head off his shoulders. The Great Gorilla had to remind himself that he had to stay calm, but that didn't stop his nostrils from flaring or his eyebrows from knitting together.

“What I'm offering you,” T’Challa spoke again. “Is a better life for you, for your people… and your children.”

 _My children_ , M’Baku thought. He'd done everything he could and more for his children, they were the lights of his life, his reason to keep fighting for the respect they deserved. So when M’Baku’s time was over, his children would be fine. M’Baku had promised his deceased wife, may she rest in peace, that he would protect his children with their life.

“You haven't answered my question yet.” M’Baku stood straight, dwarfing the king with a head and a half. “Where did this nonsense come from?”

“I have spoken to our goddess and-”

“Your goddess,” M’Baku interrupted. Motioning for the king to continue.

“I have spoken to Bast, and she had warned me about a lot of things. Things that I must avoid… and others that I must fix.” T’Challa took a deep breath. “Fix the bridges between the tribes, all the tribes, and bring peace to Wakanda, is my priority.”

“Marrying me? Is that the best you could think about?” M’Baku was toeing the line between skepticism and mockery.

But then M’Baku remembered traditions, and what asking for someone from the Great Gorilla’s bloodline's hand on marriage implied. It made him smile.

“I ask for you to give me two days to think about it.”

T’Challa opened his mouth and closed it again. He'd been ready to try and convince M’Baku to accept or to help with another solution. But that had been surprisingly easy.

“And satisfied with that answer, I'll leave.” The Panther King smiled politely.

“And with the knowledge that I'll confer with you once I have my decision clear, I invite you to leave.”

They conceded each other a respectful nod before T'Challa turned on his heels and left with his guard.

M'Baku sat back on his throne. He closed his eyes for a moment, huffing a laugh when he heard whispers under the wooden floor.

“I know you three are hiding there.” The arguing stopped. M’Baku didn't even look down. “How many times do I have to tell you not to bring your brother here? It's too cold. Get out right now.”

The Great Gorilla kicked the thick fur carpet to reveal the trap door hidden under it. M’Baku watched as two small hands pushed the door up and open.

“It was not my idea!” Both his daughters yelled in unison as they climbed out of the hidden tunnel.

M’Baku sighed and stood from his throne to kneel down and help his son out after the girls were out.

“I don't care whose idea it was,” The Great Gorilla said. But there was no anger in his voice as he rubbed his son’s bare arms. “Next time at least make sure your brother doesn't freeze in there.”

“Yes, baba.” The girls looked down.

M’Baku sat his son on his shoulders and messed his daughters’ hairs, making them gasp in indignation and try to pull away.

“Come on, little spies,” M’Baku laughed. “Let's go somewhere warmer.”

“Were you talking with the Panther King, baba?” His son asked, his small arms wrapped around M’Baku’s forehead.

“Yes, that's him.”

“Are you going to accept?” His younger daughter asked.

“There's no way the king can earn dad's hand,” The older one crossed her arms.

M’Baku grinned at them. “But wouldn't it be fun to see him try?”

The kids giggled. Even though their father didn't let them see the proposal ritual, they always enjoyed when M’Baku told them everything that had happened as bedtime stories, avoiding the bloody details, of course.

 

Two days passed. T’Challa wasn't sure if he'd been more nervous expecting for an answer, or the day he thought M’Baku finally sent a messenger with said answer. But instead, the Great Gorilla was asking to confer with the king. T’Challa seemed confused when, in the letter, M'Baku requested for T’Challa to go to Jabariland, accompanied by his family. At the end of the letter, the Great Gorilla specified that Nakia wasn't allowed to assist. Why was M’Baku so interested in Nakia not being there? T’Challa didn't know.

It wasn't hard to convince his mother and sister to accompany him. Shuri complained about no amount of clothing being enough to avoid freezing in Jabariland. But she clarified that she would go anyway.

“I've been waiting for my sweet brother to get an arrow to the knee for ages!” She beamed. “Although I never thought it'd be with the Great Gorilla.”

T’Challa never thought that either. But his life was full of unexpected changes and surprises lately, especially that day. That day was almost like puberty all over again.

The next surprise was that, after the ship landed on the only spot in Jabariland that worked as a airstrip, M’Baku and his people were waiting for them. There were drums sounding loud and the thick scent of something sweet in the air, even though the scent was being blown away by the cold winds rapidly.

M’Baku wasn't wearing his usual wooden armor. The Great Gorilla was shirtless, a long white cape that seemed to be made of fur was hanging from his shoulders, being held loosely around his neck by a necklace of wooden beads.

The Panther King didn't notice that he was staring at… the cape? The necklace? Yeah, he was totally just staring at those, until Shuri pushed him so he'd start walking forward and out of the ship. The royal siblings glared at each other until Ramonda cleared her throat behind them. They instantly looked to the front and stood straight. But they still got that mom patented glare that could even make the king gulp.

Like two days prior, T’Challa and M’Baku greeted each other with a respectful nod. M’Baku was smiling, he seemed happy to see T’Challa. That was a surprising and unexpected change.

“I must admit that I was confused when you requested for me to come with my family,” T’Challa confessed. “May I ask why?”

M’Baku’s smile only grew. “The Jabari still respect our ancestors’ traditions,” The Great Gorilla explained. “One of them is specifically about marriage proposals.

Ramonda was close enough to her children for them to feel her tense behind the turn, and they tensed as well. Queen Mother Ramonda always seemed relaxed, collected. The few times T’Challa And Shuri had seen her nervous or tense, there was always a good reason for her to be like that.

Seeing the royal family, or what remained of it after the deaths of the father, the uncle, and the cousin, made M'Baku chuckle shamelessly.

“I hope you didn't quit your training because of going to visit your friends, the colonizers,” M’Baku teased and his men behind him laughed. “Your family and the Dora will be shown the rooms you're staying in. The ceremony will take place tomorrow morning.”

T’Challa didn't understand half the stuff M’Baku was telling him about a ceremony, but he nodded and thanked him for his hospitality nonetheless.

As they were guided to their rooms, T’Challa and Shuri approached their mother to whisper to her.

“What's the ceremony M’Baku’s talking about?” T’Challa asked.

Ramonda looked at both her children before she sighed. “The tradition says that the answer to a marriage proposal done to someone from the leader family of a tribe depends on if the person proposing is deemed worthy by one of the tribe's avatars. If we were back home and it was one of you being asked for your hand by someone from another tribe, the avatar would be a panther. But-”

T’Challa could have sworn he felt the color leaving his face. He didn't need his mother to finish the sentence to understand. That didn't stop Shuri from finishing the sentence for her.

“You're going to get your ass kicked by a gorilla,” The princess gasped, being pinched by her mother on the arm shortly after. Shuri whined and rubbed her arm before squeezing her brother's shoulder. “It was good to know you.”

After being shown their rooms, T’Challa tried to go talk with M’Baku. But no one wanted to tell him where the Great Gorilla was and the Dora hadn't seen him since the landing. It seemed the tradition was that the ‘couple’ couldn't see each other until the ceremony. T’Challa sighed with resignation and went back to his room, ignoring how Okoye and Ayo looked at him pitifully as they stood at each side of the door with the unspoken promise of guarding the king while he rested.

The problem was that T’Challa didn't rest. He couldn't bring himself to fall asleep. The fur blankets were heavy and way too thick, T’Challa almost boiled on that bed. When he tried to open the windows to fight off the hotness, the frozen winds of the mountain gave him goosebumps.

The figure of a gorilla carved in Jabari wood that seemed to be real height didn't help. T’Challa ended up standing in front of it, noticing how it was at least two heads taller than him even when it was on its fours. The big teeth and hands made the king gulp. It was definitely not going to be an easy ceremony.

_I hope you didn't quit your training_ , T’Challa remembered what M'Baku had told him. Did this man really expect T’Challa to face such a beast?

And what if he won? T’Challa had never been around gorillas, but he used to wrestle with the panthers in the palace. Thanks to that the king knew that animals don't know what ‘yield’ means. What would happen if he hurt or killed the avatar? The Jabari wouldn't be happy, to say the least.

But most importantly, was it really a tradition the Jabari tribe still followed or was it all just a cruel joke from M’Baku? T’Challa would never know. A part of him didn't want to know, it'd be humiliating.

T’Challa had no other choice but to wait and pray for Bast to protect him during the ceremony.

 

“I've been thinking-”

“That's new.” T’Challa winced when Shuri pinched the soft skin right between his knuckles.

“Shut up and listen,” The princess huffed, blowing on her brother's nails that she had just finished painting with gold nail polish. “I've been thinking a lot about this ceremony during the night and I decided to learn as much about it as I could.”

“How?” T’Challa asked curiously.

“I called Nakia and asked for her help.”

T’Challa froze at the mention of Nakia. She was in Puerto Rico, helping people like she'd always wished to. T’Challa hadn't told her about his plan to propose to M’Baku. He wanted to believe he hadn't because she was busy. But he didn't really know why he hadn't. Nakia would have probably thought about a much better plan, right after scolding T’Challa for his delirious ideas. T’Challa just… hadn't told her, not even after he proposed to M’Baku and had to wait two days for an answer. Maybe because he couldn't believe what he'd done either.

“She said that she's happy for you,” Shuri interrupted her brother’s train of thought. “And that she's glad that you're finally thinking like a king, even if your way is antiquated.”

That hurt a little. T’Challa wanted to believe he'd thought like a king since he became one. He was doing his best.

The Panther King didn't know if he was relieved or disappointed that Nakia hadn't complained about his plan.

 _Relieved_ , T’Challa tried to convince himself, _If she was against it, she would come to stop me. M’Baku wouldn't have been pleased with that, and it would have made everything more complicated._

“What did you learn?” T’Challa changed the subject. He wanted to forget about both Nakia and M’Baku, and just concentrate on the ceremony. It was easier said than done.

“In the ceremony, you'll be given five minutes to choose and study the avatar you'll be fighting, and you'll be given the chance to pick a weapon, object, or whatever you want, to fight,” Shuri explained as she started painting T’Challa’s other hand’s nails. “Don't be stupid, choose your suit.”

“I thought you wanted to see the gorilla kick my ass.” T’Challa tried to cross his arms and look offended. Shuri didn't let him.

“Stay still!” She huffed. “Even though videos of animals attacking people go viral, I don't want a giant gorilla to break you in half.”

“I'll translate that to ‘I love you, my dear brother. I couldn't live without you’,” T’Challa teased, imitating Shuri’s voice mockingly.

“You know what, I take that back,” Shuri grinned. “I hope that gorilla crushes your skull.”

T’Challa paled. “Wait, can they do that?”

Shuri finished painting his nails and stood up, humming a requiem as she walked to the door.

“Shuri, answer my question.” T’Challa frowned and stood up.

“I'll see you at the ceremony!” Shuri rushed to the door. When she opened it, Ramonda was there. “Good morning, mother, you look breathtaking today!” Shuri kissed her mother's cheek and ran off.

T’Challa opened his mouth to call for his sister, maybe even go and chase her. But he sighed and just sat back on the bed's feet. His eyes went to the gorilla statue and he gulped, staring at it until his mother sat on the chair Shuri had been sitting on just moments before, right in front of T’Challa, and held his hands.

The kind but firm squeeze made T’Challa relax. Ramonda smiled at him and her son smiled back, his head resting on Ramonda's hand when she caressed his cheek. The Panther King looked down at the shorts that his mother had brought with her and which were now on her lap. White with a golden band to keep them tight around his waist.

“With that on, you'll definitely be able to see the exact moment when I start bleeding.”

Ramonda frowned at the mere thought of seeing her son hurt and bleeding again. “What did Shuri tell you?”

“She told me I must pick a weapon or object that I’ll use to fight the avatar” T’Challa sighed. “And that gorillas can crush skulls.”

The Queen Mother shook her head. “That's not true.”

“They can't crush skulls?”

“I mean the weapon thing,” Ramonda felt bad for having to say that. T’Challa had looked relieved for a brief moment. “You must pick a weapon or object to face the avatar. Facing them is not necessarily fighting them.”

Ramonda handed her son the shorts. Under them, a slim but resistant string of vibranium beads had been hidden.

“I hope you can wear this instead of the Black Panther necklace,” Ramonda explained. “Something tells me it'll be more adequate.”

T’Challa smiled at his mother and placed the shorts aside. He took off his Black Panther necklace, left it on the bed, and leaned forward. Ramonda placed the vibranium beads on his neck and kissed her son's forehead.

“I pray for Bast to guide you, my son.” She once again caressed his cheek before standing up. “I'll give you privacy so you can get ready.”

The king found himself once again alone. He undressed and tugged the white shorts on, making sure to tie the golden band tight so they wouldn't become an issue that could be deadly during the ceremony.

Once again, T’Challa stared at the gorilla statue, he guessed it was Hanuman. Someone knocked at the door.

“Come in.” T’Challa watched the door open and Okoye peeked in.

“Your majesty.” If T’Challa didn’t know better, he'd say Okoye looked worried, even scared. “It's time.”

T’Challa nodded, smiling gratefully, and motioned for her to leave before looking back at the statue. He turned on his heels, grabbing the Black Panther necklace from the bed before once again facing the statue. He looked at it, then at the necklace, then back at the statue, and moved closer. T’Challa had to stand on his tiptoes to be able to put the necklace on the statue of the gorilla god’s neck. He stepped back, admiring the contrast between the metal of the necklace and the wood.

The king took a deep breath and left his room, feeling a little more confident for some reason.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> People at Birnin Zana usually give whoever affects them -positively or negatively- a name. T'Challa realizes it's wiser to ask for someone's name instead of giving them one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to mention that there's no specific date for updates, chapters are published right after I'm done writing the following two, this way I avoid leaving you without updates if something stops me from writing.

The confidence T’Challa felt when he left the room didn’t last long. He was walking through the hallways, followed by the Dora Milaje, when the sound of drums caused a knot to settle in his stomach. T’Challa took a deep breath to try and calm down, but the louder the echo of the drums, the harder his heart beat against the king’s ribcage. If he’d had to compare the level of nervousness with other moments of his life, T’Challa would compare it with his coronation.

M’Baku’s men were waiting for them at the end of the hallway. They made a small reverence before motioning for the king and his guards to follow.

Leaving the Great Gorilla’s palace was the worst. T’Challa shivered from head to toes. How could M’Baku go out shirtless? The king had spent less than a minute outside and he already felt like his body temperature had dropped considerably. The Jabari were definitely strong if they’d managed to adapt to such a merciless weather.

T’Challa was tempted to ask how far they were from… wherever the ceremony was taking place at. But he chose to stay quiet, concentrate on something else to be able to calm down. His attention went to the way the music of the drums was echoing through the mountains, getting to them at the same speed as the wind. They were getting closer to the source of the music, and that didn’t really help T’Challa feel better. Okoye seemed to notice him shaking wasn’t only because of the cold, and her hand rested on his shoulder, Ayo’s did the same, and one by one, the Dora Milaje placed their hands on his shoulders and upper back to try and comfort their king. T’Challa smiled fondly at them. No matter what happened, they would be there for him, just like Shuri and Ramonda.

When M’Baku’s men guided them through a rock path that had statues of gorillas on each side, the king’s heart climbed into his throat. The path was surprisingly warm. T’Challa looked down and studied the ‘rocks’ before his eyes widened when he realized those weren’t rocks, but carbon. Cabron that, even though it was hot, couldn’t burn his bare feet because of the snow around it and the freezing winds. It was really smart and useful. The Jabari were full of surprises

Taking a closer look at the statues as they walked past them, T’Challa noticed that they weren’t made of wood like the one in the room. They were made of ice that had been carved detailedly to represent the towering figure of Hanuman.

Who would have thought the Jabari were so artistic? T’Challa smiled. it was marvelous. Terrifying, and it didn’t help the king forget that he’d face a real gorilla soon, but marvelous nonetheless.

T’Challa counted ten statues on each side of the path before he stopped walking to admire the architecture or a temple. The cold he’d been feeling was left in the background and the king could have sworn his heart stopped beating for a couple of seconds before it started beating as hard as the hitting on the drums inside the temple. T’Challa was startled when the men that had walked them there started making guttural noises. The king glanced at the Dora, who looked as confused as he did, before entering the temple. The drums weren’t the only thing he could hear anymore, further inside there were people, men, and women, making the same guttural noises as the guards who walked him and his own guards there.

 _Let’s do this,_ It was easier to sound sure of himself in his mind that it was to do so out loud.

A hallway which smelt heavily of incense and was adorned with candles took them to what seemed to be the only chamber in the temple. The drums and the gorilla noises stopped when T’Challa stepped in. His sister and mother were there. Ramonda seemed worried, Shuri had a broad smile on her face because she'd got the Jabari to give her the warmest cape, which she'd wrapped around herself, looking like a cocoon. Taking a closer look at the white cape, T’Challa noticed that it was the same or very similar to the one M’Baku had worn the day before.

T’Challa looked forward, meeting M’Baku’s imposing stare. The taller man was wearing a gorilla mask that seemed to be the exact same one he'd worn the day the Great Gorilla left his mountains to fight the Panther King in the coronation ceremony, T’Challa realized it was because of the cracks it had. Why did M’Baku keep and fixed that one? T’Challa didn't know. Maybe he could ask later.

The king pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind as he stepped further into the chamber. He turned around when the Dora hit the ground with their spears. The Great Gorilla’s men were also in a fighting position.

“Your guards must stay there,” M’Baku’s voice echoed in the chamber, just like the drums.

T’Challa met the Great Gorilla’s stare for a moment before nodding and looking back at the Dora, motioning for them to lower their weapons. They didn't trust the situation, but obeyed the king and saved their spears, except for Okoye and Ayo.

As he approached the center of the chamber, T’Challa felt everyone's eyes on him and took a deep breath. It was just a ceremony, just like his coronation. There had been more people at his coronation, there was no reason to feel nervous. T’Challa looked over M’Baku’s shoulder and noticed three doors.

_More chambers_ , The king deducted. There was something written on each one. When T’Challa tried to read, M’Baku took a step to the left and blocked his vision.

“Are you ready, my king?” Like three days before, M’Baku seemed to be mocking T’Challa when he called him his king.

 _No, but what other choice do I have?_ T’Challa thought.

“Always ready.” The Panther King stood straight.

He looked around and noticed his sister frowning the moment she seemed to notice that he wasn't wearing the Black Panther necklace.

“What the fuck are you doing?" Shuri mouthed.

“I have no idea,” T'Challa mouthed back before looking back at M’Baku when the man cleared his throat. T’Challa looked determined. “Tell me what I should do first, Great Gorilla.”

M’Baku let out a deep belly laugh undesirable the mask and pointed at T'Challa. “If Birnin Zana respected traditions, you would know,” The leader of the Jabari spoke loud for everyone present to hear. “But the king doesn't know what to do.”

T’Challa raised his chin, staring at the dark brown eyes under the gorilla mask almost defiantly. It wasn't wise, but that didn't stop T’Challa from grinning cockily.

“I must choose an avatar, a weapon or object which I will use to face them,” He also spoke loud for everyone to hear how the king did know what to do. “I'm letting you pick what you want me to do first.”

M’Baku glared at him. T’Challa had to hold back the urge of his smile to broaden. He relaxed his facial features, his expression looking relaxed but defiant.

“Choose an avatar first,” M’Baku commanded.

The Great Gorilla moved out of the way and T’Challa walked to the doors. The king started fidgeting with the vibranium beads around his neck as he took his time to look at each one. It turned out that what he'd seen written on them were names: Nesibindi, Silumko, Mbulali. The last one made him tense, it couldn't be.

32 years had passed. T'Challa was just a child when a white gorilla left the mountains and got to Birnin Zana. The gorilla had arrived at the palace without being seen, killed some guards, including some Dora, before forcing his way into the Queen Mother’s bedroom, where a month old prince was sleeping; and had hurt Ramonda when she tried to get the animal to stay away from her son. The Great Gorilla of that time to look for the missing avatar: Mbulali. Manslayer, that's how the other tribes named him. And it seemed that the Jabari called him that now. If that wasn't a signal from Bast, T’Challa didn't know what it was.

He turned around, facing M’Baku. The fire of determination in his eyes threatened to melt the snow that was finding its way inside the temple. “I choose Mbulali.”

T’Challa had predicted the gasp his mother and the Dora let out, and Shuri’s confused face. But the king hadn't predicted that the Jabari would also gasp and start whispering to each other. M’Baku didn't tell them to shut up right away, he stared at T’Challa, the Great Gorilla’s eyes widely open. After a whole minute, M’Baku raised his hand, closed it in a fist, and everyone shut up.

“The king has chosen,” M’Baku’s voice sounded breathy, but he quickly regained his composure. “Now pick whatever you want to take with you in there.”

The Panther King felt tempted to request for someone to go to his room and get him the Black Panther necklace. T’Challa glanced at his mother, she looked worried and -as always- she had good reasons to be. His hand went to the string of beads around his neck as he smiled at Ramonda, wanting to calm her down.

An idea popped in T'Challa’s mind, and he was sure that the idea came straight from Bast. “Whatever I ask for will be given to me?” He asked M’Baku. The Great Gorilla seemed confused but nodded. “I want a Godkeeper to come with me.”

The Jabari once again started whispering to each other. His family and the Dora Milaje were trying to understand what was his plan. T’Challa smiled briefly before meeting M’Baku’s confused and slightly amused eyes.

“Just a Godkeeper, I do not wish to bring anything else with me.”

M’Baku thanked the mask because it didn't let see anything but his eyes and mouth, so no one could tell how the Great Gorilla had lost control over his features and was no longer able to keep a neutral expression. He'd heard stories of proposal ceremonies since he was a child, and never in all the story of the Great Gorillas had he ever heard of someone who didn't take a weapon with them when they entered the avatar’s chamber. As always, the king was full of surprises.

The Jabari leader pointed at one of his tribesmen. “Bring all the Godkeepers,” He ordered.

Shuri and Ramonda approached T’Challa as he waited for the Godkeepers to arrive. Shuri punched him in the arm and ended up rubbing her fist. “Are you crazy?! You're going to get yourself killed!” She whisper-yelled.

“Shuri,” Ramonda kept her composure. “T’Challa is the king, and you-”

“You must always respect your king's decisions,” Shuri sighed and crossed her arms. “But respecting his decision won't change the fact that he's going to get himself killed.”

Even if Shuri was trying to hide it, T’Challa could tell that she was also worried about him. The king wrapped his arms around his sister's torso and pulled her in for a short hug, pulling away and squeezing her shoulders fondly.

“I'll be fine,” T’Challa assured. “Don't freak out.”

“I never freak out,” She huffed. Her face softened and she reached for T’Challa. “Special handshake?”

T’Challa smiled as he nodded and they did their special siblings handshake.

M’Baku interrupted the family moment with a yawn. “Are you done?” The Great Gorilla huffed. “The Godkeepers are waiting outside.”

The king nodded and followed the taller man outside. The Godkeepers awaited him. T’Challa studied them quietly, everytime his eyes stopped on one of them, they'd make a respectful reverence. Except for one.

The woman was old, her hair a wavy and grey waterfall, the wrinkles on her dark forehead more prominent as she frowned. She was definitely not happy.

T’Challa stood in front of her. “What's your name?”

“Iru,” She answered flatly.

“Why are you so unhappy, Iru?”

“With all due respect, your highness,” Iru started. “You wouldn't be happy either if you had to meet the man that will face and hurt a beautiful creature that you've raised since he was a baby.”

“I'm not going to hurt Mbulali.”

Iru laughed sarcastically. “You say you don't hurt him and yet you call him that.”

T’Challa would recognize the look the woman was giving him anywhere. It was a defiant but scared look, worried. The look of a mother that feared for her child's life.

The king held the Godkeeper’s hands between his, smiling respectfully. “It’d be an honor if you accepted to accompany me, Iru.”

He ignored how the other Godkeepers sighed with relief. Iru seemed surprised that she'd been the chosen one, but she accepted. M’Baku thanked the other Godkeepers and motioned for them to go back to their respective duties.

“No one but the king, the Godkeeper, and I can enter the avatar’s chamber,” M’Baku sentenced once they were back inside. “Everyone else will wait here for the three- or two of us-” He looked at T’Challa, visibly enjoying making the king nervous. “-to come back out.”

T’Challa jumped in place embarrassingly when he tried to open the door and something pushed it closed. He stepped back and M’Baku nudged him out of the way, opening the door for him.

“The king goes first.” M’Baku was definitely enjoying the whole thing.

T’Challa glanced at his family, seeing Shuri let go of the white fur cape and raised her thumbs. He raised a thumb back before entering the chamber.

The avatar wasn't happy, to say the least. The second T’Challa stepped inside his chamber, an empty basket was thrown at him and T’Challa managed to dodge it just because Bast was good. The king stepped away from the door, keeping his back pressed on the wall as if he was trying to walk through it. He looked at the ground to pieces of fruit and vegetables, probably what the basket contained before being thrown at him.

The Gorilla was just like the statues in the room and by the path to the temple. T’Challa would dare to say this one was even bigger with all the fur and muscle. The avatar’s eyes were fixed on him. The king had never seen eyes so human on an animal, eyes full of anger in the hairy and scarred face. Scarred because of who? Other gorillas? Humans? Probably both.

T’Challa watched through the corner of his eye as M’Baku and Iru walked in without getting anything tossed at them and closed the door. He wasn't going to risk looking away from the furious gorilla.

M’Baku stared at the king expectantly as he leaned on the door. “What are you waiting for, your majesty? Face the avatar.”

Iru stood by the king's side, having yet to get an explanation of why T’Challa requested for her to come with him. But the Panther King was busy watching the gorilla’s every move, tensing each time the avatar growled furiously in his direction.

“Is it his first ceremony?” T’Challa felt the urge to ask.

“No outsider from other tribe has come in years,” M’Baku answered. “And the ones who have come while facing Mbulali has been an option weren't stupid and suicidal enough to choose him.”

T’Challa rolled his eyes at being not so indirectly called stupid and suicidal. He was sure his mother, the Dora, and Shuri would agree with M’Baku. T’Challa wouldn't admit it, but the Great Gorilla was right, his decision had been impulsive, stupid, and suicidal. He didn't have a plan, just theories.

 _There's no way back._ Maybe there was, but T’Challa wouldn't risk asking and looking like a coward. He'd chose Mbulali and he was going to face Mbulali. T’Challa convinced himself of that the moment he finally gathered the courage to push himself away from the wall, slowly approaching the gorilla while motioning for Iru to follow.

Mbulali growled again and T’Challa stopped, instinctively reaching behind himself protectively to make sure Iru stopped too. The avatar didn't seem to like that the stranger touched his keeper and, in a second, the huge animal was standing right in front of the king.

T’Challa could swear his heart had started trying to escape through his throat when he felt the avatar’s breath against his face. They were so close he could literally smell the gorilla’s breath, it smelt like fruits and vegetables, a dying surprisingly low on protein for such a huge and muscular animal. But T’Challa guessed he could say the same about M’Baku.

“Easy, easy,” T’Challa’s voice came out as a whisper. He felt tempted to turn around see what M’Baku was doing. If something went wrong, would the Jabari leader help him?

 _He would,_ The king convinced himself. But part of him, specifically the one that was self-aware of the situation he got himself into, wasn't sure. Would M’Baku forget about traditions and help?

Instead of looking at M’Baku and risking being hurt for giving his back to the gorilla, T’Challa kept looking at those furious eyes, almost human, that seemed to be staring at his soul.

“Tell me his name.”

“What?” Iru asked him.

“You complain about me calling him Mbu- the bad name.” There was no way T’Challa was going to call him Mbulali when the animal was right in front of him. “What should I call him?”

Iru gave a step forward, whispering in the king's ear. T’Challa had to tilt his head back, even more, to look up at the avatar when he stood like a person, baring his enormous teeth.

 _How hard would it be to wash the blood off his white fur?,_ T’Challa pushed that thought out of his mind and concentrated on the name Iru had whispered to him.

The king didn't notice the Godkeeper’s closeness was comforting until she stepped back and away from him.

“Ukoyika,” T’Challa’s voice wasn't a whisper this time, but it was still soft.

T’Challa could have sworn that the gorilla seemed surprised at being called that. The surprise replacing the anger in the avatar’s eyes made the king feel confident.

“That's your name, the real one,” T’Challa continued. “Fearful… probably a more fitting name than the one my people gave you. You didn't want to hurt anyone, you #don't want to hurt anyone. You were scared, just like the guards and my mother.”

The king searched for a reaction in the avatar’s eyes. But Ukoyika was no longer making eye contact, he wasn't even looking at T’challa’s face. The gorilla’s eyes were fixed on the beads around T'Challa’s neck. The king touched it, amused by how the avatar followed the movement of the beads.

“You left the mountain to see the golden city?” T’Challa spoke as if he was waiting for an answer.

It made sense. Birnin Zana was called the golden city because almost everything was made of vibranium and when the sun hit the city on the right angle, it looked like it was made of gold. It was also known that the animals were attracted by vibranium. The royal scientist had tested it's luring qualities with panther, rhinoceroses, lions, and alligators. T’Challa smiled, the scientist would be happy to know that gorillas also felt attracted by vibranium.

With careful and calculated movements, T’Challa took off the beads. He stopped when Ukoyika grunted but continued after not being punched through the wall by the avatar. Just as carefully, the king knelt down in front of the avatar, his eyes fixed on the ground. He reached up, handing Ukoyika the beads.

“I've come to ask for your blessing,” T’Challa once again spoke as if he was speaking to a person. “This is my offering for you, avatar Ukoyika.”

 _Thanks, mother._ The Panther King smiled. Once again, Ramonda's intuition had saved his ass.

Ukoyika grabbed the beads, looking at them, shaking them, before baring his teeth again, but this time, it looked like he was smiling. T’Challa gulped when the gorilla grabbed him by the shoulders and lifted him up. Visibly relieved when he realized the avatar just did that to make him stand up. Ukoyika let go of T’Challa once he was on his feet and pressed the beads on the king’s face, letting out what sounded a lot like an amused grunt before turning around and going to the corner to be alone and enjoy the king’s gift.

“I've never seen Ukoyika so happy,” Iru admitted breathlessly.

T’Challa turned on his heels and a grin took over his features when he saw how wide M’Baku’s eyes were. The Panther King approached, still grinning.

“The avatar gave me his blessing,” T’Challa sounded proud of himself. “Now I just need yours.”

M’Baku’s jaw clenched and he gave the king a look that confused T’Challa. Was it an ‘I want to punch you’ look or an ‘I want to say something’ look? Then M’Baku opened the door and the answer was loud and clear.

“The avatar has spoken!” M’Baku exclaimed. “The Panther King and I, the Great Gorilla, will unify our bloodlines!”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> M'Baku arrives to Birnin Zana. T'Challa meets his future husband's children. Fish in Jabariland are bigger than anywhere else.

When T’Challa chose to face Mbulali, now Ukoyika, the Great Gorilla had been more than sure that he'd have to intervene if he didn't want the avatar to kill the king. M’Baku hadn't thought, not even for a second, that T’Challa would leave the chamber unharmed. In his three decades of life, M’Baku never witnessed such a thing. Even his deceased wife, who'd been the kindest person to ever grace Wakanda with her existence, had left the chamber with few bruises.

Now that the leader of the Jabari thought about it, he was confused about why he was always the one who got proposed to. M’Baku had never had the chance to propose to anyone. His former wife had been faster to do so, and M’Baku would be lying if he said marrying the Panther King was one of his plans.

Back to the Great Gorilla’s palace, M’Baku was waiting in his office, the one he almost never used. If it'd been for him, the private meeting with his _fiance_ -M’Baku never thought he'd call someone that after he widowed- would have took place in his throne room. But the princess had complained about her brother being cold and too polite to say it, and that they needed to stay in a warmer place for more than five minutes.

 _So weak._ M’Baku huffed. How could a king be so affected by the weather? It was pathetic. Everyone in the golden city and the tribes surrounding it seemed to be weaker than the Jabari. Except for Queen Mother Ramonda, she hadn't complained about the cold, she didn't even seem to be cold. M’Baku had offered to get her a cape after giving his to princess Shuri, and Ramonda declined the offer respectfully.

His thoughts were interrupted by a soft knocking on the door. M’Baku sighed. “Come in.”

T’Challa was then standing in front of him while M’Baku sat behind his desk, arms resting on it while he observed as the Panther King took a seat in front of him. The Great Gorilla grinned, amused when he noticed T’Challa was wearing his white cape, the one he'd given to Shuri.

The king's brow arched. “Do I amuse you?” He questioned.

“Immensely,” M’Baku admitted shamelessly. “It is always amusing to see how weak other Wakandans are compared to my people.”

“The Jabari tribe has adapted to incredibly rough weathers,” T’Challa hummed. “It is amazing.”

The Great Gorilla frowned. Was that a compliment? He'd just called T’Challa and the other tribes weak, and instead of looking angry or offended, T’Challa complimented the Jabari; and it was an honest compliment. M’Baku felt a confusingly tight knot forming in his chest. Did he feel guilty for calling them weak?

 _Of course not._ M’Baku frowned. The other tribes deserved to be called weak and more.

“I must admit,” The Great Gorilla started. “You surprised my tribe.”

T’Challa smiled. “I hope it is a surprise of the good kind.”

“It was a surprise, that's all I can say.” M’Baku shrugged. “But enough of this friendly chatting. It is time to talk about marriage.”

They stayed in silence for a whole minute. A silence that T’Challa broke. “I do not wish to pressure you. But in a week, my family will organize a feast, people from all the tribes are going to assist.” T’Challa looked serious. So serious M’Baku almost missed the relaxed atmosphere of their ‘friendly chatting’. “If you really accept to marry me-”

“I already said yes.” M’Baku’s index finger tapped impatiently at the desk. The noise distracting T’Challa for a moment.

“I want you to think about it, “T’Challa continued. “and if you accept, it'd be an honor to have you and your family join the celebration.”

“For someone who doesn't want to pressure me, you sure are pressuring me,” M’Baku teased. “You'll have my final answer in a week, your majesty. My family and I thank you for your invitation to the palace, it is an honor, blah blah blah.”

T’Challa once again didn't seem insulted by the Jabari leader’s obviously disrespectful attitude. M’Baku understood the king less and less every minute they spent together; if someone mocked M’Baku the same way he was mocking T’Challa, the Great Gorilla would find a good use for whoever dared to disrespect him’s bones. But the Panther King wasn't like that, he was too kind and forgiving; that kindness got on M’Baku’s nerves. Was it all an act to make him look like a bad person? It wouldn't be the first time a monarch spoke lies about the Jabari to make them look like nothing but dangerous, unpredictable savages.

 _T’Challa would never do that,_ M’Baku was surprised by his own thought. Since when did he start to think so highly of a king that he didn't respect until less than an hour ago?

“Once again I invite you to leave knowing that you will be informed the moment I have my decision clear, even though according to traditions the answer is already clear.” M’Baku grins. “I don't want the poor little king to freeze.”

The king smiled, seeming pleased before he left the Great Gorilla alone with his thoughts.

 

 

The week before the feast went by quicker than T’Challa wanted it to, and before he knew it, he was on his balcony, waiting. A knot settled in his throat and the king couldn't decipher if it was because he wanted M’Baku to arrive already or because he didn't want him to.

“You're shaking, brother.”

T’Challa blinked and turned to look at his sister. She laughed.

“Stop it,” T’Challa huffed. “I'm nervous.”

“I don't blame you.” Shuri pressed her lips together to avoid grinning. “If my future husband rejected me, I would also be nervous.”

T’Challa rolled his eyes and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Shuri.” Ramonda went to the rescue. “Let your brother have some peace, dear, today is an important day, come help your mother with the orders for the guards. T’Challa, the chefs need you to pick the dishes.”

“Yes, mother.” Both siblings nodded in unison.

Shuri left with Ramonda. T’Challa stared at the horizon for a minute and, after not seeing anyone approach the palace, went back inside to fulfill his duties as the king and host of the feast that, he hoped, would be a memorable event.

Luckily for him, time passed faster when you're surrounded by people who want your opinion on everything. And without T’Challa noticing, the guests started arriving.

“Your majesty,” T’Challa stopped staring thoughtfully at two curtains that for him were the exact same color but from which he had to pick one to look at Okoye. “They're here.”

T’Challa didn't need to ask ‘who’. He'd requested for the Dora Milaje to tell him if the Jabari arrived.

 

 

M’Baku stood in front of the technologically advanced palace’s entrance. Some of his most trusted tribesmen were with him, along with his children.

Ayo was standing by the open doors, she wasn't going to let them in until T’Challa himself told her to. M’Baku crossed his arms, he hated waiting, and he hated waiting under the sun even more. His youngest child was behind him, hiding from the sun under his father's cape.

The royal family quickly -Not quick enough for M’Baku- arrived to greet them. The knot in the Panther King’s throat didn't leave, it just descended to his stomach.

“Having you here today fills me and my family with joy,” T’Challa announced.

As M’Baku shook Ramonda and Shuri's hands, the king smiled at his new ally and husband-to-be’s -Bast, it was weird to even think of M'Baku that way- children. Two girls, both of them with long, curly hair, probably to protect them from the Esther at the mountains; dressed in the Jabari’s usual fancy clothing, which seemed to be made of some aquatic mammal’s skin. One of them already showing some hints of maturity on her features, the other still just a child.

“My daughters. “M’Baku smiled proudly. “A’Isha and Rahmah.”

T’Challa knelt to be at the younger one's height before shaking their hands gently. He smiled at the girls. “It's an honor to meet you.”

“The honor is all ours, your majesty,” The older one, A’Isha, said while bowing down. Rahmah mirrored her sister.

The king's smile only widened and he was about to stand back up when M’Baku moved his cape, exposing a little boy's face. T’Challa’s eyes widened, a third child? He'd never been informed of the leader of the Jabari having a son.

“And my son, Oba.” Once again, M’Baku smiled proudly.

Giving the child an appraising look, T’Challa couldn't help but notice how small he was. It was shocking to see that the son of a man as big and intimidating as M’Baku looked so… fragile.

He smiled again. After all, the first impression was important. “It's an honor to meet you too, Oba.” The boy didn't seem to want to get out from behind his father. T’Challa respected his decision and stood back up.

“Come in, please, make yourself at home.” T’Challa turned on his heel, heading back inside with the knowledge that his guests would follow. “I have faith that you will enjoy the feast. Leaders from other tribes are here as well, so your children will have others to play with.”

The girls looked up at their father, excitement in their eyes. M’Baku nodded and watched them run straight to where the other kids were. T’Challa and Ramonda smiled, but he noticed Oba had stayed beside his father. The king also noticed, after a while of observing all his guests -Because he was totally not staring at M’Baku while the man interacted with children- how the Great Gorilla seemed distracted keeping an eye on his daughters. T’Challa looked at Okoye and she instantly understands what her king wants. Okoye told the other Dora Milaje to stay with the royal family and went to keep an eye on the girls.

The feast started and members of the other tribes comment about how varied the dishes were. T’Challa smiled, proud that he'd made sure that there'd be variety. Almost half the food was vegetarian, the other half were different meats, from fish to cow; always avoiding serving anything with meat from animals the other tribes worshipped, like gorillas and crocodiles.

The exchange of opinions about the food died when T’Challa stood up. The Panther King cleared his throat and smiled. “Some of you must be wondering why I have reunited you here, besides celebrating that Wakanda is once again ruled by prosperity.”

T’Challa glanced at the children’s table, then at his family. Shuri and Ramonda smiled, his sister even raised her thumbs and mouthed “You can do this.”, giving him the motivation he needed to continue.

“The truth is, I have a big announcement.” T’Challa smiled. “On this day, it's been decided that the Great Gorilla and my family will unite our bloodlines through marriage. This will ensure better relations between our tribes, along with new opportunities.”

T’Challa had never been so relieved that Nakia wasn't in Wakanda. She would have smacked him for being so straight-forward. And she'd have done it especially hard, considering how everyone went dead quiet. Quiet that was broken when one of the merchant tribe’s tribesmen looked away from the king and at M’Baku.

“Is it true that fish are bigger in Jabari territory?”

M’Baku was about to brag about how his tribe had kept the fish population so healthy that they were much bigger than anywhere else. But his son was quicker.

“They're big. They're this big!” Oba stood from his seat and spread his arms as much as he could before sitting back down shyly when everyone stared at him.

Shuri gasped as her brother sat back down. “Are they really that big?” She asked, her curious tone encouraging Oba nod briefly. Shuri elbowed her brother. “I'm surprised they didn't eat you, brother.”

T’Challa laughed along with his guests, taking a sip from his glass of wine. He couldn't help but look at M’Baku as the sweet beverage slid down his throat. The Great Gorilla was speaking with the other tribesmen that were sitting close to him. T'Challa had to admit he was relieved, maybe a little jealous. But he ignores jealousy because he wasn't able to tell if it was because M’Baku was the center of attention or because T’Challa was no longer the center of M’Baku’s attention. At least no one reacted hostilely in front of the children.

Later, T’Challa was one hundred percent sure, the council would ask for explanations and act displeased about how the decision had been taken without them being informed.

The king decided to enjoy the peaceful and friendly atmosphere of the feast while it lasted. An atmosphere that he wished had lasted longer. But right after, T’Challa was called, as expected, by the council of elders. Leaving his guests to socialize with each other.

M’Baku stayed aside, listening to the conversation without contributing because he was too busy watching the kids run around. He walked to Oba when the boy started coughing and gasping for air, concerning his father and the royal guard watching over them.

Okoye was by Oba’s side before his father. But M’Baku ignores her and kneels before Oba, his big hand -Usually meant to harm whoever got on the Great Gorilla’s bad side- patted his son's back with such gentleness that more than one tribesmen stared, dumbfounded. They looked away when M’Baku glared at them briefly before his attention went back to his son when Oba breathed in and started coughing again. Okoye left for a moment, coming back with a glass of water. She smiled at Ob while handing him the glass. The boy was better after drinking.

“Does that happen often?” Okoye asked.

M’Baku picks his son up and stands, dwarfing everyone else there except for one or two of his tribesmen. “Take care of the others, warrior.” He then goes to sit down with his son.

Oba wasn't happy to have to stay sitting on his father's lap while everyone else was having fun. But he knew how ugly the coughs can get firsthand, and the boy doesn't want to worry his father.

At some point, Ramonda went the same way T’Challa had and came back accompanied by the council and her son, who looked tired but not physically. T’Challa tries to join the conversation, but everyone is more interested in asking a thousand questions about political matters and trading between the tribes. M’Baku actually pitied him at that moment. But he couldn't help but smile at T'Challa’s obvious attempts to find an excuse to escape the interrogatory.

Ramonda intervened again. Always calm and collected, even as she asked for the guests to trusts in the king’s decisions and remember that T’Challa doesn't have all the answers and that trading matters also depend on each tribe’s elder. Everyone respects her, and the subject changed to something more frivolous.

M’Baku sighed tiredly at the mere thought that those tribesmen that think he can't see them looking his way while gossiping like teenagers, and that council that questions everything, even stuff they shouldn't have an opinion on, will be his problem too.

He keeps bouncing his leg for his son's amusement. M’Baku wanted the throne of but he wasn't looking forward to having to be kind to the other tribes and pretend they didn't marginalize him.

The Great Gorilla's thoughtful look changes into a softer and fonder one when his daughters rush to him, looking excited and happy to meet new people.

“Adults here are always arguing and whispering.“ A’Isha pointed. Not caring if anyone heard her. “Isn't that impolite, baba?”

M’Baku nodded, messing their hair and laughing when they whined about him ruining their ‘look’.

“Go back to play, leave impolite behavior to adults.” M’Baku looks down. Big mistake. Oba was pouting and looking up at him with the hugest puppy eyes. The Great Gorilla had never been strong enough to resist his children's puppy eyes. He sighed, defeated. “Take your brother with you. But no more running around.”

Oba's face lit up and he was about to climb off his father's lap when M’Baku stopped him.

“Aren't you forgetting something?” M’Baku’s eyebrows arched.

The boy laughed and huged him tightly. “Thank you, baba!” He then climbed of M’Baku’s lap and went with his sisters to play with the other kids.

M’Baku grinned, tooth gap and all when he saw the council trying to discreetly look at him while also being wide-eyed. Did they think the Jabari couldn't be good parents? The Great Gorilla was going to enjoy proving them wrong. He was tempted to even join in their conversation and brag about how amazing his kids were, just to make them all uncomfortable and see if any of them broke character and stopped being nice. But his plans changed when M’Baku saw T’Challa leaving, finally finding a moment to escape to the balcony.

He decided it was time to talk with the king.

 

After having to listen to countless complaints and questions, T’Challa felt like his head was going to explode. But even if the council’s power to give him headaches was otherworldly, T’Challa didn't regret his decision. Was it too soon for marriage? Probably. But that didn't mean it was a mistake, at least not yet. And if things didn't work, T’Challa had faith they'd find a way. If he'd learned anything from the Avengers -Especially from Nick Fury- it was that he always had to have a plan B, C, D, and all the way to the Z and back. But that it was fine to plan along the way.

Thinking about the Avengers made him think about Bucky. He'd have to pay the soldier a visit, make sure Barnes wasn't having any trouble.

T'Challa's eyebrows arched when he heard footsteps behind him. He glanced back and smiled. “M’Baku,” He says as a greeting. “Do you need some fresh air as well?”

There's no answer. T’Challa looked back at the beautiful Wakandan sunset, being able to see M’Baku through the corner of his eye when the leader of the Jabari stands by his side. Both of them watch as the sunlight caressed Wakanda one last time before the moon took its place.

“Your children are adorable.” T'Challa smiled. “Though I must admit I wasn't informed that you have a boy as well.”

M’Baku stared at him. T’Challa kept his eyes on the horizon for a couple of seconds before he looked up at the Great Gorilla.

“I didn't know I had to inform the king of every occasion in which I engendered a new child.”

T’Challa almost choked at M’Baku’s lack of tact. The king looked away, feeling his face hot and touching his beard as a way to hide it. “I'm not saying you have to. I meant that-”

“I know what you meant, O king,” M'Baku chuckled. But something on his face changed. “If we are going to unify our bloodlines, there's a lot you need to know,” The Great Gorilla's voice was deep, and T’Challa could swear he could see the concern in his eyes, maybe sadness as well? With the bad lighting, T’Challa couldn't tell. “My wife… she was smart, determined, but fragile. She wasn't born in Jabariland and got sick with the lightest breeze. Even so, she gave me three children. But she didn't survive Oba’s.”

T’Challa froze, looking up at the taller man with wide, sad eyes. Losing someone you loved was horrible; losing someone you planned to spend the rest of your life with… T’Challa could just imagine what that felt like.

“My most sincere condolences,” There's nothing but honesty in the king’s voice.

“I do not need your pity.” M'Baku looked down at him. “I just want you to know that I'll protect my children no matter what. If I have the feeling someone here might be a threat to them, I won't hesitate.”

The Pather King held the Great Gorilla’s glare, his own expression soft but serious. M’Baku ended up sighing. “Oba is like his mother,” He explained. “I can't remember one time in his five years of life in which he’s spent more than two days without coughing his soul out and gasping it back in.”

“We can help,” T’Challa assured. “The weather is warmer and our healers can get rid of an issue.”

The king's eyes travel back to the front. This time he stares at the mountain, T’Challa had never noticed how far away it was until now. He could hear people inside heading to the exit.

“Guests are starting to leave,” He informed the leader of the Jabari. “It's a long way back to your mountain. I don't think it is safe to go back in the darkness, especially not with children.”

“Be clear with what you want, T’Challa,” M’Baku huffed.

T’Challa had to stop himself from rolling his eyes by looking up at M'Baku. With the taller man, every conversation went straight to the point.

“I want you to stay,” T’Challa definitely could go straight to the point if M’Baku wanted him to so much. “Actually, I'm not taking no for an answer. You said it, your son is fragile. I'm not letting you go back to Jabariland unless you accept to let someone take you. Shuri has been wanting to practice her driving skills for a while.”

The kind grinned. He knew M’Baku wouldn't accept getting in a ship, much less if it was being driven by a 16 years old.

 _Right, the wedding._ M’Baku almost forgot about that not so small detail. He was going to marry the king. A king who’s cocky grin the Great Gorilla wished to punch, even if the tooth gap was kinda cute. 

“My men, my family and I thank you for your hospitality, O king.”

T’Challa’s grin briefly softens into a smile. His attention darted back inside; of course, Shuri was trying to be sneaky and spy on them. Maybe if she wore her own inventions, she would be able to without T’Challa hearing her every time.

She gulped and smiled at them awkwardly. “Mother wants to talk to you,” She said quickly, then looked at M’Baku. “You'll stay?”

“Unless your people kick me out.” M'Baku shrugged.

“That's not going to happen,” T’Challa stated before leaving the balcony.

Shuri looked up at the Great Gorilla. Her stare so intense it made M'Baku’s eyebrows arch.

“Your kids went to their room with Okoye, your men also left to their room, they chose to sleep together ‘just in case’.” She rolled her eyes. “You'll have your own room.”

M’Baku nodded. “Thank you, princess.”

The youngest Udaku smiled widely. “Please, we're about to become family, call my sister.”

“Not happening.”

“Call me Shuri then,” She huffed and crossed her arms. Her posture mirrored her brother’s. “But not princess, it's too formal and antiquated.”

M’Baku’s hands held each other behind his back to hold himself back. Those brats nowadays, always disrespecting traditions and titles. But it wasn't the teenager’s fault, no, it was whoever influenced her’s fault. M’Baku’s daughters would never say such a thing, and he wasn't even that strict. But he knew how to raise children properly.

Shuri gave his back to the leader of the Jabari. “I'd go to your room if I was you. Escape while you can,” She laughed. “Unless you want to go and say goodbye to the other guests.”

If the circumstances were others, M’Baku would go straight to his room, or he'd stay in the balcony enjoying the sunset without the snow everywhere; anything just to not have to see the other tribes’ leaders. But that was what they wanted, more excuses to talk shit about M’Baku and his people. M’Baku wasn't going to give them the satisfaction. He followed Shuri outside, a grin taking over his face when he realized the Jabari were the only ones who had been invited to stay. His grin only grew when he saw the realization in the other tribes’ people's eyes. The _Jabari_ were given the honor of staying at the palace, not their snobby asses.

A chuckle escaped M'Baku at how wide the Panther King's eyes were. With a shit eating grin, M’Baku approached the elders.

“May Hanuman watch your steps,” He said in a farewell. The elders were visibly confused but shook the Great Gorilla's hand.

T’Challa cleared his throat to avoid laughing, now it was clear why M’Baku had joined the royal family while they said goodbye to the guests. It seemed like a wise, and amusing, decision.

After the guests left, the royal family went back inside, followed by the Dora Milaje. M’Baku’s confused when he noticed that two of the king’s private guards were following him instead of T’Challa or his family. The Great Gorilla tilted his head in their direction when they stopped walking right after he did.

“T’Challa told us to show you your room,” One of them explained.

M’Baku couldn't help but laugh. Of course, the king would let his warriors call him by his name. It made sense, considering the princess didn't want to be referred to with her royal title either. She probably learned that from her older brother.

“You may show me my room then,” M’Baku murmured, following them.

His room was nothing like what he was used to, it was warm even though all the windows were open, the blankets were made of cotton and silk instead of heavy furs, and the decoration included felines painted on the walls, even a statue.

 _Panthers,_ M’Baku laughed. Of course, T’Challa would give him a room decorated with the animal Birnin Zana worshiped. But it wasn't like he, the Great Gorilla could complain. But he could say that at least the Jabari didn't decorate _everything_ with images of gorillas unless it was a special occasion. They built the most sophisticated, abstract sculptures made with the bones of fish and other creatures they hunted.

The statue of the panther, with its jaws open as if it was roaring, reminded M’Baku of the king’s Black Panther mask. Although the statue, in M’Baku’s opinion, was way more intimidating than T’Challa when he had that tight black suit on.

M’Baku got ready for bed and fell asleep after struggling to find a comfortable position on that uncomfortable mattress. Something in his gut told him that the next one would be a long day. After all, there was still a wedding to plan.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The happy 'couple' has an argument over food, Nakia is mentioned. T'Challa gets embarrassed easily.

Neither T’Challa nor M’Baku knew they weren't looking forward to planning the wedding until it was time to do so. It wasn't that they regretted the whole thing, they didn't -at least not yet-, but there was too much to do.

Ramonda was the one taking care of everything the first couple of days, while they continued with their routines would go to Jabariland to make sure his people were at peace with the other tribes and with each other; T’Challa would go to America, Europe, Asia, wherever someone needed him, T’Challa went to help.

But the trips were over, they were back at Birnin Zana, and it was time for them to stop procrastinating about the wedding. T’Challa spent two days writing the guest list, arguing with M’Baku about it, and about other stuff as well; because Lord M’Baku of the Jabari didn't settle for anything.

“We must serve more vegetarian food.” M’Baku crossed his arms.

Just then T’Challa looked up from what he was doing. “Almost half of the food is vegetarian,” The king reminded his fiance.

“As I see it, less than half is vegetarian,” M’Baku continued. “There should be more.”

T'Challa's lips parted to say the first thing that came to mind. It wasn't a nice thought, so he closed it again, taking a soft but deep breath. _Keep your composure, T’Challa, if you can handle Stark, you can handle this,_ He told himself mentally.

The king then smiled. “Alright, if the lack of variety concerns you, then you'll take care of the dishes,” T’Challa held the blank paper in which he had to write down what they wanted to serve at the wedding and handed them to the taller man along with the finished guest list. “Make sure there are enough and varied dishes with meat as well, please.”

He looked back at the other guest list, the one he'd have to hand to all his guards so they wouldn't kill any of the non-Wakandan guests, right before his innocent smile turned into a grin. T’Challa took his time to read each name, wanting to make sure he hadn't forgotten anyone and mentally preparing himself from when he'd have to take the list to the elders and convince them to let him invite the people in it. The king couldn't help but think that M'Baku was lucky he didn't have friends outside of Wakanda. T’Challa had met most of his most trusted friends in America, outside of his family and the Dora, the only ones he considered friends were Nakia and W’Kabi, although he wasn't sure if he could still count W’Kabi.

 _The other tribe lords better don't complain about the Jabari coming,_ T’Challa thought. A wedding was supposed to be an enjoyable time for everyone. If anyone who tried to disrupt the peace, T’Challa wouldn't hesitate to make the Dora take them out. M’Baku deserved to have people he appreciated and trusted assisting to his wedding.

“Make sure there's no crocodile, gorilla or panther meat on the menu.”

“I don't need you to tell me how to do this,” M’Baku huffed, going back to take a seat on the leather couch he'd moved closer to T’Challa’s desk from across the room.

For some reason, M’Baku always stood up and raised his voice whenever they had an argument. T’Challa was the opposite, he'd stay in his seat, simply looking up at the man in front of him as M’Baku ranted, occasionally giving his opinion on whatever subject they were arguing about. It would go on until they found a solution or just got tired of arguing.

Unfortunately, peace and quiet didn't last long. M’Baku laughed when he noticed something on the guest list he was checking while writing down what dishes the royal chefs would prepare. “Your ex isn't coming?” He questioned.

T’Challa tensed, he didn't like the tone with which M’Baku said that. “She's busy at South America.”

“Busy? Or she just doesn't want to see her king marry someone better?”

Keeping his composure and being respectful had never been hard for him in Wakanda, T’Challa was only sarcastic and cold outside of his kingdom. Had he spent too much time around Shuri, maybe? Was there a possibility that the teenager was a bad influence on him? Or maybe it was because of Stark and the Avengers. T’Challa was sure there had to be a reason for him to react the way he did.

“Someone better than Nakia? Who?” T’Challa arched an eyebrow at M’Baku. “I thought I was marrying _you_.”

M’Baku stood up, pushing the couch back when he did. T’Challa stood from his seat as well and ended up being cornered between his desk and his fiance’s body. They were close, but their bodies weren't touching. The Great Gorilla's index finger poked T’Challa’s chest when he pointed at him.

“Listen to me, _cat_ ,” M’Baku growled. “If you don't wish to see me angry, you better-”

“ _You_ listen to me, M’Baku,” T’Challa never interrupted other, it was the first time he'd ever spoken over someone else, and that someone was _M'Baku_. “If you don't wish to see me angry, I'll ask you to be careful with what you say about the people I appreciate.”

They glared at each other until Ramonda knocked on the door and walked in. M’Baku grabbed the papers he'd been writing on and left without a word.

Ramonda looked at where M’Baku had been when he walked past her, then at her son, and without the slightest hint of anger, she asked. “What happened?”

There was no way for T’Challa to escape his mother’s scolding after he explained what had happened.

The king tried to apologize during dinner, but M’Baku was -ignoring him completely- busy. T’Challa even went to the Great Gorilla's room, hoping M’Baku would let him in for at least two minutes; he waited for a couple of minutes after knocking, even knocked a second time, but there was no answer. Resigned, T’Challa went to the lab to make sure Shuri wouldn't stay there until dawn like she usually did. Although the stay wasn't allowed unless there was a good reason, so T’Challa had to explain what had happened.

“I don't see why you have to apologize,” Shuri said after T’Challa told her everything in more detail than he'd done with Ramonda. “He insulted Nakia. M’Baku shouldn't talk shit if he doesn't want to get a spoonful of his own medicine.”

“He didn't say anything bad about Nakia though,” T’Challa huffed. “M’Baku just said he was better than her. Nakia would hit me if she knew how stupid I acted all because of a childish statement.”

“I can't argue with that.” Shuri raised her hands in defeat, patting her brother's shoulder. “Turn that frown upside down and put on some music, you're ruining my mood with your bad vibes. It's not like M’Baku’s off to war, you can apologize tomorrow, crybaby.”

“Says the girl that whines about a corset,” T’Challa teased back.

He smiled for Shuri. She was right to an extent, it wasn't like T’Challa didn't want to apologize, he tried, the intention was what counted, right?

 

 

Anyone who looked at M’Baku could notice that talking to the Great Gorilla wasn't a good idea unless you had a death wish. When T’Challa tried to go and apologize, Shuri stopped him, and the king didn't need to ask why, just looking at M’Baku growling at anyone who looked at him for longer than two seconds was enough to understand.

M’Baku was definitely not in a good mood. He wasn't sure how many hours he slept, but the Great Gorilla was sure that he didn't rest at all. The bed was too soft, the blankets were too light, and the room was hot as hell. M’Baku didn't feel like he'd slept, more like he had blinked and suddenly the sun was back, probably laughing at him while the tired warrior pulled himself out of bed.

 _I'm sure I would have slept better on the ground._ He was used to having a harder mattress holding his weight, not to sink on the mattress.

The only ones that could speak and be around him without risking that the Jabari leader would lose his patience and hit them through a wall were his children. 90% of M'Baku’s patience was reserved for his children and the other 10% for Queen Mother Ramonda. She was the only one M’Baku liked so far.

His men spent the morning making sure one of his kids was around whenever they had to speak to M’Baku. Not even they were safe from their leader’s mood.

T’Challa decided not to risk it. M’Baku definitely had some appreciation or at least respect for T’Challa. But the king was sure the Great Gorilla definitely didn't like him completely. And T’Challa wanted to convince himself the sentiment was mutual.

They ate breakfast together, this time they were all on the same table. Ramonda asked M’Baku’s men if they wanted to eat with them, but the Jabari tribesmen rejected the offer respectfully.

The king found himself taking long glances -definitely not staring- at M’Baku’s general direction more than once. But the taller man wasn't looking at him, he wasn't talking to T’Challa either. T’Challa was sure he wouldn't care if at least M’Baku wasn't talking to everyone but him. The Great Gorilla even turned around to talk to Okoye and she wasn't even eating with them, she was standing by the door.

“I'll go back to Jabariland in an hour.” T’Challa hadn't been informed of that. “I hope you can keep my children safe.”

The general of the Dora Milaje nodded while the Great Gorilla’s heirs whined.

“We want to go!” Rahmah exclaimed.

“Please baba! We'll be good,” A’Isha added.

“You are already good. But no,” M’Baku was firm, avoiding his younger kids’ puppy eyes and his oldest daughter’s pout. “I have to discuss a lot of subjects with the other Jabari lords, subjects that you're still too young to understand and will probably bore you.”

“Oh, meetings with the lords, those are the worst,” Shuri joined the conversation, smiling at the kids. “You should be thankful you're still too young to participate in those. I am forced to attend, it's torture!”

Ramonda cleared her throat beside her and Shuri muttered an apology. The children weren't happy, but it seemed they accepted their father’s decision. T’Challa thought they'd maybe beg for M’Baku to change his mind after breakfast, once they were alone with their baba and he didn't have to act tough.

T’Challa planned on going back to Shuri's lab once they were done eating. He had a lot of things to do: Call for a meeting with the elders, call Nakia to know how she was doing and probably get yelled at -he was 50% sure Shuri told her what he'd done-, call Tony Stark to talk about general Rhodes, visit Bucky and make sure he was doing good.

“T’Challa.”

The king stopped walking, he didn't get too far from the dining hall’s doors, the to-do liar he'd been writing in his mind was erased instantly as he turned around to face M’Baku. T’Challa thought the softened look in the warrior's eyes was a product of his imagination.

“Come talk to me to the balcony.”

T’Challa just followed M’Baku. A flock of birds was chirping from the threes closer to the balcony, and the weather was a little colder than usual. But not enough for the Great Gorilla to be comfortable.

 _I can apologize now._ T’Challa opened his mouth to do just that, but M’Baku spoke first.

“I told your mother yesterday, but she told me to tell you personally,” M’Baku started. “I'll leave for a week.”

“I- what?” T’Challa stopped himself from tilting his head in confusion, thinking he'd look stupid. “Why didn't you tell me last night?”

“I tried, you weren't in your room.” M’Baku crossed his arms.

T’Challa felt like dying. While he'd been knocking on M’Baku’s door, M’Baku had been knocking on the king's, both wanting to talk to the other for completely different reasons.

“There's a lot to do in Jabariland, my men miss their families,” The taller man's tone left it clear for T’Challa that M’Baku wasn't explaining himself. “I don't expect you to understand that-”

“I understand.” T’Challa had gone from never talking over someone else to do it twice in less than 24 hours, and both times M’Baku had been the person he interrupted. “Your people need you.”

M’Baku stared, surprised by the soft smile that took over the king's lips. He finally nodded. “They do.” They could at least agree on that. “I finished the list and already handed it to the chefs. I hope my children’s stay isn't a problem for you.”

That was a little cruel. At that point, T’Challa already knew that every single one of his interactions with M’Baku was a test. The Great Gorilla was constantly testing him. But implying that the kids would be a problem for T’Challa was a low blow. He'd had few interactions with his fiance’s children, but T’Challa didn't consider them a problem at all. The king had been an only child for 16 years and by the time Shuri could walk, T’Challa was of age and all his time was spent training to take his father's place once the time came and freezing for Nakia while the teenager hormones were still there. Besides, Shuri had never been a normal child, she’d always been smarter and maturer than most kids her age, -even maturer than T’Challa in few but memorable occasions-, and both siblings had different interests and goals in life. But that didn't mean the love and support wasn't there.

“It'll be a chance to get to know them.” T’Challa was optimistic that he'd be fine with the kids. It wasn't like he'd be alone with them.

M’Baku had noticed T’Challa wanted to say something else. He could read the king like a book, and he went straight to the point. “What do you want to tell me?”

The king tensed, and the birds on the trees stopped chirping, leaving them in a complete silence that would become awkward if T’Challa didn't think of what to say quickly. He didn't expect M’Baku to notice, was he _that_ obvious?

“I-” want to apologize. That part didn't come out for some reason. T’Challa wanted to apologize, but it was hard. “Did you sleep well?” He asked instead.

“Excuse me?”

T’Challa gulped soundlessly. “You look-” _angry, like you are going to kill someone, probably me._ “-tired.”

It seemed that it was the ‘don't say what you really want to say’ day, at least for T’Challa.

 _A king should be sure of what he's going to say before saying it,_ His father's words echoed in his mind. He hoped T’Chaka wasn't watching over him then. Hoped he was watching over Shuri, she deserved the attention.

“Your people's beds are too soft,” M’Baku had no problem complaining. “And the weather is too hot, I spent the whole night sweating and sinking on the mattress.”

It was hard to believe that was the problem until M’Baku started ranting over how he thought extremely soft beds were bad for his muscles and bones, and there was no doubt left for the king that the leader of the Jabari hated the palace’s beds.

“I'll see what I can do to make sure you're comfortable,” T’Challa promised. “Do you want me to change the kids’ beds as well?”

“Don't ask me, ask them. You said you'd try to get to know them better, didn't you?” M’Baku grinned, his voice turning sarcastic. “Ask them about their beds. I'm a Jabari, I know about ice-breaking conversations.”

That pun actually made T’Challa wince. A deafening laugh -so loud the birds on the tree started chirping again- made M’Baku wrap his arms around his own belly, he seemed to always laugh about his own puns. The Great Gorilla smacked the king’s arm as he laughed, making the shorter warrior stumble on his feet.

The king waited for M’Baku to stop laughing and say something else. When T’Chaka considered something wasn't good for himself, he didn't let Ramonda, T’Challa, or Shuri expose themselves to it. The Black Panther didn't know why, but he'd expected M’Baku would be the same way. He'd always thought all parents were or had to be like T’Chaka, although his vision of his beloved baba had changed a lot recently. M’Baku was nothing like T’Chaka, and he said nothing about the subject, he changed it.

“I'll go change some rules with your general,” The Great Gorilla looked serious. “I trust that she will communicate them to you if she thinks it's necessary.”

T’Challa was definitely going to ask Okoye about those rules later. M’Baku turned around and was heading back inside when T’Challa stopped him.

First thing T’Challa noticed was that he wasn't able to wrap his hand around the Great Gorilla’s bicep. Was there anything about M’Baku that wasn't huge?!

 _The gap between his teeth_. T’Challa froze at that thought. It wasn't like he cared about M’Baku’s tooth gap, he'd noticed it some days before out of curiosity; curiosity that wouldn't kill this cat.

He stopped thinking about M’Baku’s tooth gap when the man turned around to face him once again. M’Baku looked at T’Challa, then at his bicep, then back at T’Challa, his eyebrows seeming to be trying to become one.

“I want to apologize,” T’Challa was quick to speak. “For what happened yesterday. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did, I wasn't thinking and-”

“A king of the Udaku bloodline that doesn't think? That's new,” M’Baku was obviously being sarcastic. “I accept your apology, now let go of me.”

Why in the hell hadn't he let go of the strong arm right after stopping M’Baku? T’Challa didn't know. His hand slid off the Great Gorilla's bicep and they both felt electricity the second before T’Challa’s fingertips stopped touching the other's muscle.

T’Challa excused himself, stuttering about having a lot to do and that he was glad they'd talked before he darted back inside and to the laboratory. He ignored Shuri and went to the couch his sister usually slept on when she was too tired to go back to her room after long nights of science. T'Challa grabbed a pillow and pressed his face against it; the pillow muffled the king’s screaming. Bast. T’Challa had never felt so embarrassed.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> T'Challa gets to know M'Baku's children better. Tony Stark doesn't appreciate being bullied by a four years old boy.

Watching M’Baku’s youngest children clinging to his legs in their last attempt to convince the Great Gorilla to take them with him before giving up and finally saying goodbye, T’Challa couldn't help but smile remembering how he and Shuri used to do the same to T’Chaka. Those had been good times, when the only thing the Udaku siblings had to worry about was if they could convince baba to take them visit the other tribes or not. T’Challa missed that, being a prince was much easier than being king. His father always seemed to know what had to be done, while T’Challa questioned himself on everything.

_Baba didn't question any of his decisions, and look what happened._ T’Challa pushed the intrusive thought before it ruined his mood. T’Chaka had made mistakes, he didn't question the decisions that causes some of those mistakes, but he hadn't been a bad man.

“Okoye’s now a babysitter?”

Shuri's question pulled him out of his own mind and back to reality. T’Challa looked at her. “Don't call her that,” He sighed. “If it bothered her to watch the kids, she'd tell me.”

His sister shrugged and watched the children as they finally let M’Baku go with a grin that T’Challa found suspicious. But he said nothing about it.

“Remember when we were like that?” Shuri asked, nudging him.

“I was just thinking about that.” T’Challa smiled. “Although _I_ wasn't like that, you were the one who koala-attacked baba.”

“At least I didn't look constipated when he said that I couldn't go with him, unlike _someone_ that I'd prefer not to mention.” Shuri's index finger poked T’challa’s temple as she pointed at him.

“You're so immature,” T’Challa huffed a laugh and pinched his sister's arm so she'd stop pointing at him. Shuri pinched his ribs as revenge.

They started pinching each other, trying to outstrength the other and stopping whenever Okoye looked at them. Ramonda cleared her throat behind them and both Udaku siblings froze before giving a step to the side, T’Challa to the right and Shuri to the left, Ramonda stood between them, looping her arms with her children's.

“It will be a long week, T’Challa,” She started. “But I know you will get along with M’Baku’s children and that _both_ of you will behave.”

“Of course, mother.” The siblings gulped.

“We always behave, we're already mature and responsible,” Shuri laughed nervously.

T’Challa had to bite his tongue to avoid laughing when Ramonda gave Shuri #the glance, one of those looks that make you gulp. His Adam apple bobbed as he swallowed the will to laugh when it was his turn to get _the glare._

“Go and say goodbye.”

T’Challa might be the kind, but before that, he had been a momma’s boy and still was. “Yes, mother.” He unlooped his arm from Ramonda’s and walked up to M’Baku.

The Great Gorilla’s eyebrows arched in T’Challa’s direction. T’Challa smiled up at him. “May Bast watch your steps."

“May Hanuman watch yours, my king.” The way the Great Gorilla’s teeth gritted when he said ‘my king’ could have made the bravest warrior pee their pants.

T’Challa had to admit it was surprising how everything that came out of M’Baku’s mouth sounded like a threat. Even what he had just said. The king didn't doubt that it #could be a threat; M’Baku left it clear that if anything happened to his children, things would get ugly. But the kids were now T’Challa’s responsibility and he wasn't going to let anything happen to them.

“I'm sure your return to Jabariland will help keep the peace.” T’Challa could tell that M'Baku seemed to hate his constant optimism; that just encouraged the king to be more optimistic than usual.

“My return will definitely change more than anything you could have done from here.” There was something in M’Baku’s tone. What he'd said was looking to passive-aggressively insult T’Challa, but it wasn't charged with the same bitterness as usual.

“Is there anything you wish me to communicate to my- to our people?"

The question took T’Challa by surprise, both because M’Baku had asked without any indication that T’Challa had something to say, and for the way in which the Great Gorilla corrected himself.

“I- yes.” T’Challa cleared his throat. “Please, remind them that they're welcome here. They've always been, but… I thought that maybe an official invitation would motivate them.”

M’Baku stared at him for half a minute, like studying T’Challa as if he hadn't before, before just nodding. The king's shoulder was parted by the Great Gorilla with what probably was supposed to be gentleness, but it still hurt a little.

“Take care of my children, panther.” M’Baku smiled while saying that but frowned before he continued speaking. “Don't make me regret saving your life.”

_Are you always going to mention that you saved my life?_ , T’Challa felt tempted to ask, but he didn't.

 

Without spending 24 hours with the kids, T’Challa learnt a lot. Even if they had been raised by the same man, at the same place, and with less than five years of age gap from each other, the Great Gorilla's children were completely different from each other. A’Isha, being 12 years old, could already be considered a teenager, one that, like every child hitting puberty, had some interests that didn't include her siblings, one of them being reading anything written by outsiders that she could get her hands on, and a specific fascination for reptiles. Rahmah, being 8 years old and despite her short stature and round complexion making her look a little older, seemed the be the most interested one in physical activities while also being the one with the best fashion sense; T’Challa had almost cried laughing after she complained about how the Dora Milaje uniform was ‘outdated’ and ‘lacked style’, while entertaining herself by watching them train.

T’Challa noticed that, when his father wasn't there, the girls didn't spend a lot of time together. They'd go separate ways and meet to talk about what they'd done during the day later. Oba, on the other hand, was the opposite.

During the 22 hours and 40 minutes -and counting- in which M’Baku had been absent, Oba hadn't left T’Challa’s side for longer than five minutes, which seemed to be the amount of time it took the four years old boy to find the king in the palace. T’Challa noticed, and Shuri teased him about it, that Oba was now his shadow; a little shadow that followed him silently and would sometimes headbutt his leg whenever the king stopped walking abruptly.

_He misses his father,_ T’Challa guessed. A’Isha and Rahmah obviously missed M’Baku too, but they were older, more independent than the little boy that was now climbing to the chair beside T’Challa’s, stealing Shuri's seat, while there were people serving lunch.

The king watched the boy struggle to get on the chair. “Do you need help?”

“I can do it,” Oba assured, pouting in concentration.

That didn't stop T’Challa from placing his foot under Oba's and lifting him up just enough for the boy to climb on the chair.

Oba smiled widely. “See? I can do it!” He sounded so proud of himself that T’Challa had to smile back.

“Impressive.” Shuri smiled at the boy.

Five minutes into the lunch and T’Challa was getting a little uncomfortable. He had never been able to take being stared at well, and the four years old’s stare was intense, almost burning through the king. T’Challa looked at Oba, brows arched as he chewed a piece of his meal.

“What is that?” Oba pointed at the king's plate. Everyone stopped eating to look at them.

“Salmon,” T’Challa answered.

“I want some.”

“That's what's on your plate, dummy,” Rahmah teased.

T’Challa was relieved that A’Isha was the one who scolded her sister, he wasn't sure if he had the right to scold the kids. To be honest, T’Challa would prefer not to.

“His is different, _dummy_.” Oba stuck his tongue out at his sister.

Before they could start an argument, T’Challa intervened. “Mine is different because it has barbecue sauce.”

The youngest kids’ attention went back to the king. “Why?” Oba questioned.

“Because I like barbecue sauce.”

“I don't know if I like barbecue sauce.”

T’Challa knew where this conversation was going. “Do you want to try?”

The king found the way Oba nodded exaggeratedly before stopping, looking dizzy for a couple of seconds and then focusing on T’Challa again while he cut a small piece of salmon and soaked it on barbecue sauce, almost as amusing and cute as the way Oba pronounced barbecue. T’Challa hand the boy his fork and Oba ate what he was being offered.

Everyone, even the Dora, watched as the boy considered the barbecue sauce before his face lightened up. “I like it!” Oba exclaimed. “I want more, please.”

Ramonda called someone from the kitchen and asked them to bring more barbecue sauce. Shuri tried to get Oba to try lemon, and they had a few laughs when it was clear that the boy didn't like it. A’Isha and Rahmah laughed, and T'Challa patted Oba's back gently while the boy drank water to get rid of the bitter taste.

After lunch, Okoye took the girls to visit the city, Oba didn't want to go. T’Challa supervised one of Shuri's experiments, tried some pastries the chefs were experimenting with for the wedding, and called the Stark Tower. No one mentioned the hot following him everywhere, no one but Tony Stark.

“Who's the kiddo?” Stark had asked after they were done talking about what the Wakandan scientist could do for General Rhodes.

T’Challa was sitting on his armchair, giving his back to the desk. Oba was sitting on said desk, legs swinging, and he tried to hide behind T’Challa when the ‘pale man on the screen’ looked at him.

“This is Oba,” T’Challa introduced the child, who was tugging at the king's hair anxiously as he did his best to stay out of sight. “He's my fiance’s son.”

“Oh right, you're getting married. Another good man that bites the dust; first Barton, now you.” Tony, as always, was being dramatic. He cleared his throat and smiled. “Hello Oba, pleasure to meet you. I hope our little chit-chat isn't boring you.”

“What's wrong with your skin?”

T’Challa almost choked at the boy's question. Tony seemed amused by it.

“I'm pale, huh?” Stark chuckled. “This is what happens when you spent too long in a lab playing scientist. Play outside and get enough rest, young man, unless you want to look like me.”

“Stark,” T’Challa growled as a warning. Last thing he needed was Tony traumatizing the child by saying he'd turn white if he didn't go outside. Surprisingly, Oba started laughing at the playboy’s words.

“He's funny,” He giggled. “Little pale man is funny.”

It was T’Challa’s turn to laugh. The gasp of indignation that Tony let out was too much the Panther King wasn't strong enough to stop himself from laughing.

“Listen to me, kid,” Tony pointed at Oba. “I am _not_ little.”

“Yes, you are.”

“No, I'm not.”

“You are.”

“No!”

“Yes!”

They were going to deafen him at that rate. “Stop, both of you,” T’Challa sighed and crossed his arms, still amused. “Tony Stark, you're arguing with a four years old.”

“He started it!” The playboy still sounded outraged.

“What would Pepper say if she found out you're arguing with a child?”

Oba grinned and went “Ooooh!” when he saw the ‘little pale man's eyes widen in fear.

“There's no need to tell Pepper, your highness,” Tony laughed nervously, smiling with gritted teeth. “Besides, I'm just playing. I would never argue with such an adorable angel.”

“You're going to pay a lot for new teeth if you keep gritting them like that, Stark,” T’Challa teased. “Accept the kid is right.”

The king smiled at the boy sitting on his desk while Tony Stark, one of the smartest men in America, rated about how he wasn't short, but everyone he got along with was much taller.

 

The second day after M’Baku left, T’Challa woke up slowly. His feet were cold. He tried to shift them back under the blanket, but his movements were clumsy and he couldn't seem to find the edge of the blankets. After the third attempt, T’Challa was awake enough to turn around and turn himself into a burrito king, at least that way his feet were back under the blankets.

Someone tugged at the blankets and his feet were uncovered again. T’Challa frowned, but then, the realization, he slept alone, there shouldn't be someone tugging at the blankets. He tensed, paying attention to the light steps that approached him. When whoever was behind T’Challa got close enough, he turned around, his Black Panther suit covering his body; he aimed his claws at the ‘attacker’, but stopped right before trying to slit their throat open.

“You have claws?!” Rahmah grabbed his hand, studying the claws with wide eyes.

“A’Isha?” The king asked sleepily.

“Rahmah!” She let go of his hand to cross her arms.

“I'm sorry. Rahmah.” T’Challa sat up as his suit vanished, leaving him only on his trousers under the blankets. “What are you doing here?”

_It's still early_. T’Challa could tell because it was still dark outside. He stared at the clock, eyes adjusting to the darkness. It was 4am. “It's too early.”

“Oba is crying,” Rahmah told him.

T’Challa was on his feet in seconds. He tugged his pants on and headed to the children’s room, Rahmah close behind him. Okoye and A’Isha were waiting for them by the door, muffled sobs could be heard from inside the room.

“I sent her to wake you up,” Okoye explained. “I can't get him to stop crying, and he doesn't want us in the room.”

T’Challa nodded and walked in, a sandal was thrown at him and it hit his chest. “You have a good arm,” T’Challa said as a compliment, trying to brighten the boy's mood. It didn't help. Oba started crying even louder.

The child was sitting on his bed, crying, screaming and kicking like-minded well, like the four years old boy he was. T’Challa approached slowly and, instead of sitting on Oba's bed, he sat on the one beside it, guessing Oba would want his space.

“What's wr-”

“I want my dad!” Another shoe was thrown in his direction. This time, T’Challa dodged it.

The kids weren't used to be away from M’Baku for long. A’Isha and Rahmah were old enough to know that M’Baku would come back, but Oba was still too young, and T’Challa didn't have to be an expert at babysitting to know that Oba missed his dad.

T’Challa nodded in understanding. “I know,” He assured the boy. “But hurting your throat crying like that won't make the week go faster, will it?”

Oba glared at him, eyes red and swollen, the trails of tears dry on his cheeks. T’Challa thought the boy would start crying again. But instead of crying, Oba climbed off his bed, walked to T’Challa and held the king's wrist up by tugging at his Kimoyo beads.

“Call him with this?” Oba asked. “Princess Shuri gived baba one of these.”

T’Challa ignored the use of an nonexistent word to pinch the bridge of his nose. _Of course Shuri didn't tell me she gave M’Baku Kimoyo beads._ Shuri had been quiet, suspiciously quiet, T’Challa should have guessed she'd done something.

“Then I can call him,” T’Challa was quick to continue speaking. “But your father is probably sleeping right now.” Oba tugged at the beads again and T’Challa let him, it wasn't like the child could break them. “Let's do something, tomorrow morning the first thing we'll do will be call your dad. But we have to rest first, M’Baku wouldn't be happy if he saw you tires, right? He'd get mad at me.”

Oba doubted, but he nodded. Before T’Challa could say anything else, Oba climbed on his lap. “I'm sleepy.” and right after saying that, Oba fell asleep leaning on T’Challa’s chest.

T’Challa, king of Wakanda, first of his name, Black Panther, froze when he heard the little boy sitting on his lap snoring. _Now what?,_ He thought. T’Challa tried to leave Oba on his bed, but he couldn't get the boy to let go of him. For someone so small, Oba was strong.

The girls and Okoye looked visibly confused when T’Challa left the room carrying Oba. “Go back to bed, don't worry.” He smiled at A’Isha and Rahmah before looking up at Okoye. “I'll take him with me so everyone can rest.”

The general of the Dora Milaje seemed both surprised and amused by T’Challa’s decision, but she nodded and wished her king a good night before accompanying the girls back to bed.

It was too hot to sleep with a child using him as a bed. Still, T’Challa spent the night with Oba sleeping on his chest, he wasn't going to risk waking the boy up and it causing Oba to start crying again. They both needed to rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *le sigh* children and their shenanigans, gotta love them.
> 
> There will be more of the kids in future chapters.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone in Jabariland likes T'Challa. M'Baku finds out green is not T'Challa's color. Meanwhile the king spends time with M'Baku's children.

M’Baku couldn't sleep. How would he be able to? He was back to his land, his home, to which summer never got. But Jabariland didn't feel like home, not without his children there. M’Baku wished Shuri had explained how to use those so called Kimoyo beads, that way he could at least call Birnin Zana, talk to his children and make sure they were fine, maybe even threaten T’Challa if his kids told M’Baku anything worth threatening the king for.

The amount of time the king of Wakanda spent in his mind was concerning. No matter what he thought, his train of thought seemed to run in circles and always went back to T’Challa; T’Challa and his undying optimism, T’Challa and his will to fix everyone's problems, T’Challa and that stupid gap between his teeth. M’Baku also has a tooth gap, but his wasn't stupid; his mother had always said that everything part of his body had a purpose being the way they were, and that his tooth gap’s purpose was to leave something adorable between all the roughness being the Great Gorilla caused.

Back in his throne room, M’Baku couldn't help but stare at the ground. He was waiting. Waiting for children that always came out from the hidden door under the carpet. But they were in the golden city, probably sleeping, being taken care of by the king.

 _Damn him._ Again, his train of thought took him to T’Challa. M’Baku still couldn't find the reason why the Panther King had decided to invade his mind, but he did have a few theories; the most plausible one was that, since they were getting married, his subconscious mind was trying to give M’Baku to think about T’Challa so the great Gorilla would forget his bitter feelings for the king and the other tribes in general. But M’Baku wouldn't let external factors affect his opinion of the king.

Ukoyika, on the other hand, seemed happier than ever. M’Baku had been informed that the avatar of Hanuman had gone back to his old playful attitude, and everything thanks to T’Challa and the gift he'd given Ukoyika. M’Baku had seen the gorilla playing with those vibranium beads like a baby of its specie would.

And the gorilla wasn't the only one that seemed to like T’Challa. It had got to the Jabari lord’s attention that his people had took a liking to the king as well. Some even said that T’Challa arriving to Jabariland half dead through the river had been a test from Hanuman in which the Jabari had succeeded, and now Hanuman was blessing them by giving the Great Gorilla the throne of Wakanda.

During the days he spent away from. Birnin Zana, M’Baku wondered if he really wanted the throne. Was that the only way the Jabari could be accepted by the rest of Wakanda? At least partly, it was. The other tribes would never accept M’Baku and his people the same way they accepted one another. T’Challa was determined to build bridges, but M’Baku couldn't just put the future of his people in the Panther King's hands, no matter that T’Challa had spared his life and now was going to marry him. M’Baku couldn't let his guard down.

But M’Baku could pretend that he did, he could _try_ to get along with T’Challa, or at least try and respect him the same way he respected Queen Mother Ramonda. M’Baku wasn't going to act as optimistic as his fiancé, but he vowed to try as long as T’Challa got along with the Great Gorilla's children.

The idea of T’Challa having to take care of not one, but _three_ kids, made M’Baku smile. The Great Gorilla wished he could see the king suffer on his first time as a babysitters. But T’Challa had to learn to take care of children, he was going to be the stepfather of M’Baku’s kids after all, they had to get along or things wouldn't work. But damn, M’Baku was going to ask everyone at the palace so he could know as much as possible about T’Challa’s quality time with his children; both for his own amusement and to make sure that he wouldn't need to find a way to kill the Black Panther. Because M’Baku had no doubt that he would kill T’Challa if the king had dared to disrespect his children. M’Baku wouldn't hesitate.

With that in mind, M’Baku got ready for bed. The weight of the heavy blankets and the cold that came from outside was comforting; it also gave the Great Gorilla an excuse to sleep naked. He hadn't been able to do so since A’Isha had been born. It had been twelve years of sleeping with clothes under at least five blankets. M’Baku was actually surprised he and his wife had more kids after A’Isha with how little privacy they had.

M’Baku felt like when he was young, just a teenager with no responsibilities, always being kept safe by his parents and grandparents. Those were boring years that the Great Gorilla remembered fondly.

Even though he missed his children immensely, M’Baku was going to enjoy the nights he would spend alone. After that he was going to spend a lot or time with his beloved kids.

 

Waking up to a child kicking your ribs wasn't exactly nice. T’Challa groaned I'm pain, rolling and giving his back to the boy that had moved from on top of him at some point of his night. The next kick hit over the king's spine, making him gasp after the air was knocked out of his lungs.

T’Challa understood he wasn't going to fall back asleep and sat up, rubbing his face with one hand as he yawned and stretched like a cat would. T’Challa stood, kneading at his ribs as he walked to the bathroom. When he returned to the room, Oba was waiting for him right in front of the bathroom door.

“I want to call baba.”

“Good morning,” T’Challa murmured and picked the boy up, sitting Oba on his hip and holding him with just one arm as he showed him the beads. “I'll teach you how to call him, sounds good?

Oba nodded. They sat on the bed and T’Challa told the boy everything about the Kimoyo beads before handing them to him. Kids were like sponges, so Oba learnt quickly, only asking few questions that T’Challa was patient to answer in a way the four year old could understand.

While the boy waited for M’Baku to answer, T’Challa walked to his wardrobe and grabbed some clean clothes. Usually, he'd dress with the typical clothing of Wakanda, but that day there wasn't much to do, so T’Challa allowed himself to dress with less formal clothes.

The king’s mind was still too sleepy for Oba's conversation with his father. At least until he heard a laugh -M’Baku’s laugh- behind him.

“Green isn't your color,” That was, indeed, M’Baku’s voice.

T’Challa turned around so fast he had to lean on the wardrobe so it wouldn't look like he had stumbled. Turning around while tugging jeans on hadn't been a good idea. T’Challa was quick to tug his pants up so M’Baku would stop judging and looking amused by the king's green boxers.

“M’Baku,” T’Challa cleared his throat. “Good morning.”

“You let my son borrow your beads?”

“He asked for them.” _Go on, T’Challa, blame the kid._ The king smacked himself mentally.

“If one of my children asked you to let them go play in the jungle, you'd let them do that too?”

T’Challa wasn't able to differ if M’Baku was angry or making fun of him. Maybe both, maybe neither. T’Challa always ended up with more doubts than answers whenever he tried to reassure M’Baku, and that just reminded him that he knew little to nothing about the man he was going to marry, or at least he didn't know M’Baku enough to read him as easily as M’Baku seemed to read T’Challa.

 _Someday_. T’Challa tugged a shirt on and tried to think positive as he left the room to let Oba and M’Baku could talk. The king found the girls on his way to the kitchen and informed them about M’Baku being on his the ‘phone’ with Oba in his room.

“I'll get there first!” Rahmah exclaimed.

T’Challa let out a soft laugh when both girls took off running. He just hoped the kids wouldn't stay playing in his room; children could be untidy and T’Challa had too much in mind to even bother to try and force himself to keep his room in order. He also didn't like to call someone to get rid of tissue disaster. Everyone in the palace had a job, a purpose, and no one's was to pick up the royal family's rooms. Ramonda would probably scold T’Challa to the point she would lose her voice if T’Challa even thought about ordering someone to clean his room.

Deciding not to think about that and trusting the wouldn't make a mess in his room, T’Challa went to the kitchen. When he was young, T’Challa uses to sneak in the kitchen and steal any sweet food he could get his tiny hands on only to get caught everytime by the cooks and sent to his father, who would lecture him. Now he was the king, and there was no one to tell him what he could and couldn't eat. T’Challa felt powerful as he asked one of the cooks to cut a piece of cake for him.

 _We aren't paying this people enough_ , T’Challa thought right after taking the first bite. The best chefs of Wakanda worked for the royal family. The king closed his eyes to lose himself in the sweet flavored explosion that was taking place in his mouth.

“Is that cake?”

T’Challa blinked, looking down to find Rahmah in front of him, although the girl seemed more interested in what the king was holding.

“Chocolate cake.” T’Challa nodded. “You want some?”

The king had never seen someone nod so much and so fast. He actually feared the girl would get dizzy and falling. Thanks Bast that didn't happen.

“This cake is really good!” Rahmah praised the cook after taking the first bite of her own slice of cake. “But cake back in Jabariland is better!”

T’Challa cleared his throat to avoid laughing when he saw the face the chef made. He couldn't help but feel curious about what cake in Jabariland would taste like, it was hard to believe there could be something better than what they had in Birnin Zana.

Even if their cake wasn't as good as Jabariland’s, it seemed to attract the kids because less than ten minutes later Oba and A’Isha joined them in the kitchen. Both the boy and the teenager making the same commentary about Jabariland’s cake being better than Birnin Zana’s. The chef ended up excusing himself and leafing, making T’Challa laugh.

Sitting in the kitchen, watching The lion king with M’Baku’s children -or more like with the younger ones because A’Isha was reading-, T’Challa felt at peace. It was a weird feeling, T’Challa had never spent much time around children except for Shuri, who he loved immensely, but his teenage self hadn't been interested in taking care of a baby and their parents didn't give them more siblings.

While one of the music breaks of the movie started, T’Challa observed A’Isha, moving a little closer so he wouldn't bother the other two kids whose attention was completely fixed on the holographic screen.

“Is it a good book?” T’Challa inquired, smiling at M’Baku’s older daughter.

A’Isha looked up from the book she's borrowed from the royal library, looking surprised by the king's approach and by the fact that he was talking to her.

“I- yes! It's interesting. Or well, it's a subject I am interested on,” A’Isha said. “It's about fractals.”

“Fractals,” T’Challa was surprised in a positive way. “I didn't know you liked math.”

When A’Isha offered him the book to see, T’Challa leaned even closer, reading the first paragraph.

_‘A fractal is a geometric object which basic, fragmented, or apparently irregular structure, repeats on different scales.’_

“I used to draw fractals when I was bored, usually during geography class,” T’Challa confessed with a laugh. “Although many people do, just that they don't know they do. Do you have a favorite kind of fractal?”

“Sierpinski’s triangle,” A’Isha didn't hesitate to answer. “I know it's basic, but I like it. It's easy and follows the pattern of drawing triangles inside of triangles infinitely. There's no way to do it wrong.”

If someone went back in time and told a younger T’Challa that he was going to lose track of time talking about math, Ramonda would have scolded him for laughing at whoever said such a stupid and impossible thing’s face. But there he was, so concentrated on his conversation about fractals and equations with A’Isha that he didn't snap out of it until both younger children were crying because Mufasa had just died.

Maybe letting them watch The lion king hadn't been a good idea. A’Isha and T’Challa shared a look before the king found himself being hugged by Oba. Rahmah was also crying, but her sobs weren't as loud and breath as Oba’s, and she didn't approach T’Challa nor her older sister to be comforted. T’Challa stuck to hugging the boy, trying to calm him down by letting him cry and gently rubbing his back.

“I think we've had enough movies for today.” T’Challa stood with Oba clinging to him like a depressed koala. “Why don't you come with me to see a friend? We'll leave the palace for once and get fresh air.”

That seemed to lighten the children's mood. A’Isha decided to stay at the palace so she could finish her book, excusing herself by saying she wasn't really a fan of walks outside. Okoye stayed with her.

T’Challa could only hope Bucky Barnes wasn't one of those people that got uncomfortable around children or disrespected them. M’Baku wouldn't appreciate that and the king would prefer not to have to tell Captain America why his friend had been brutally murdered by T’Challa’s future husband.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took me around two weeks to pull out of my ass but here it is! Finally! Hope you guys enjoy.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a comment -make it as long as your heart desires- or hmu at tchalla-and-mbaku.tumblr.com . I live for validation, it helps me write


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